How to delete your island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game in which players are tasked with developing the community of a barren island. They can collect resources, decorate the island, and interact with other animal villagers.

The game features multiple activities that players can indulge in, such as fishing and bug catching, and they can also build custom tools and furniture. There are also online activities that allow them to visit a friend's island or send in-game items to one another. The game features a seasonal cycle, with events and activities changing depending on the active season.

Nintendo does not offer a completely straightforward way to delete save files from the game, so this article will help you delete your island's saved data in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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Deleting the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Nintendo does allow users to create multiple save files for the game, so the only way to start from the beginning is to delete your previous save. Deleting the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be a bit of a hassle, but with a few simple steps, you can do it quickly.

Before you start the process, it's important to remember that once a save file is deleted, any progress made in the game will be lost. This includes items, villagers, and in-game activities.

Here are the steps to delete your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizon:

1. Go to the Nintendo Switch Home menu.
2. Click on System Settings (the gear icon).
3. Scroll down and select the Data Management menu.
4. Select the Delete Save Data option.
5. Choose Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
6. Select Delete All Save Data for This Software.
7. A pop-up will appear, which informs you that the data cannot be recovered and asks you to confirm your decision.
8. Select the Delete Save Data option.
9. The island will get deleted.

Following the above steps will completely remove your save file from the Nintendo Switch and allow you to get a fresh start in the game.

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Reasons to delete your island

There are several reasons why players might want to delete their island and start over.

Getting new villagers

Villagers are the NPCs that you meet and play with in the game, but it may get boring to watch and listen to them say the exact same things over and over again. Restarting your progress will allow the game to generate some new villagers that you can interact with.

Reset your achievements

The game contains many Nook Miles goals, which are the achievements in New Horizons. Once they are completed, it is impossible to complete them again unless you reset your save file.

Rebuild the island

If you've already completed the game, you may not have any new activities to engage in. A fresh start could provide you with enough motivation to continue playing the game. This will also give you a chance to rebuild and redecorate the island with a new theme.